Zhongshan Park

Lonely Planet review

This pleasant park sits west of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, with a section hedging up against the Forbidden City moat. A refreshing prologue or conclusion to the magnificence of the adjacent imperial residence, the park was formerly the sacred Ming-style Altar to the God of the Land and the God of Grain (Shèjìtán), where the emperor offered sacrifices. The square altar ( wǔsè tǔ ) remains, bordered on all sides by walls tiled in various colours.

Near the park entrance stands a towering dark blue tiled páilou (decorative archway) with triple eaves that originally commemorated the German Foreign Minister Baron von Ketteler, killed by Boxers in 1900. In the eastern section of the park is the Forbidden City Concert Hall. Take the northeastern exit from the park and find yourself by the Forbidden City's Meridian Gate; from here you can reach the Supreme Temple and the Workers Cultural Palace.